I’m looking for a supplier for good low-sugar (ponies) grass hay in northern ca that doesn’t cost me $18 a bale! Any suggestions?
Where are you located? I am in Nor Cal too.
Probably near you, inbetween Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
That is too funny! I bet we are close. I used to have a feed store in my small town. My hubby occasionally still gets hay for a few of our “clients”, it makes it cheaper for us all. We found rye grass hay pretty reasonable. I can call my hay suppliers and see what else they have tomorrow. Right now I have been getting an alfalfa/grass mix.
Aren’t you sick of being gouged between the gas prices, and the hay?
Yes- with tax I’m now paying about 20$, and the quality of the hay that the feed store just got in is terrible- I’m very irritated.
My friend has actually found a ton of rye that she is selling to friends at 9 a bale, but I don’t feel comfortable feeding much of it to my ponies that are prone to laminitis. I would also be leery of feeding alfalfa. I just got a contact for someone in shingle springs who sells hay a bit cheaper, and am trying to make time to go over and check out the hay. But if you know of anything please let me know- my horses are eating me out!
That’s about what we pay too. The rye is the only thing other than alfalfa that I found so far. Same price as yours. I will let you know. I hate feeding alfalfa, but there is no grass hay in yet.
Thanks. I just found a hay barn that is selling a very nice quality orchard at about 13 a bale. It is the same stuff I was buying at the feed store for 17, but it seems to be less dusty and sundried, and the horses are munching it up. I can put up the info tonight.
I’m also looking for cheaper hay in this area. I’m near Jackson, where are the rest of you located?
Jessica
Im in Eldorado County, probably about 1.5 hourse away from you.
Husband and I have decided to open our feed store again. Right now we can get anything from wheat to grass. Delivery is available.
Count me in on this thread- I’m also in El Dorado County. We’re feeding oat hay now… would love a nice low sugar grass. A friend and I buy together for 4 horses (she feeds oat and alfalfa). We usually do around 50 bales at a time, depending on cost. This last time just 30.
I have been wondering about the farms that offer delivery. If we could get enough people together locally to purchase a 1/2 or full load… that might be a nice savings, but a lot of $ to put out at once.
Also, how do you really know the quality will be what the farmer states?
Has anyone else ever done something like that?
For now, I’d settle for a decent price on oat that is preferably not the first cut (super easy keepers could stand to have some of the grains removed). Or a killer price on a nice grass.
Jenni
count me in on this thread as well! im in el dorado county and $17-$20 for hay is outrageous!
Im looking for any kind of hay!
Hey, I’m near Jackson too (Plymouth). I’ve got one T&T of rye coming next month, but would be happy to share a T&T if anyone finds anything nice. NO alfalfa for me either - I could go w/ an Afl/grass mix if it is 30% or less Alf. My supplier told me she isn’t selling in quantity discounts anymore - $13/bale PLUS delivery from here on, so my T&T from her is the last one (and I paid up front back in February!).
I’ve looked at hay in Shingle Springs, Jackson, Plymouth, Elk Grove, and all of it is $15 or more/bale. Got a stack (60 bales) of a rye/oat mix a couple of months ago, $12.50 plus delivery, but that is all gone. Local feed supplier told me they just hauled in a truck load from up near Redding, cost was reasonable but delivery was $2/bale, OUCH! They are selling for $15.
By the way - depending on WHERE you are in El Dorado, it may be closer than you think. I can get to Shingle Springs in 30 minutes and Placerville in 40 minutes!
As for hay quality - the safest thing to do is take a drive and look at the hay. Last year, I went to several places in the Sacramento Delta area looking at hay, and a friend who drove into Redding for business brought back some handfuls for me to look at too. Some was nice, some was not. Two years ago, I bought a couple hundred bales from a guy in Shingle Springs - the sample he’d shown me was nice rye/oat mix, what I got was crappy straw. We ended up feeding it to the cattle. So, you can’t always count on the quality, but anyone who wants to build a long term business relationship will keep that in mind.
Anyone ever buy from SJVHGA?
I’m just wondering if anyone here has had any experience with the San Joaquin Valley Hay Growers Association? Two years ago I got in on a T&T load my landlord was organizing and the price was great compared to feed stores. I got alfalfa for my sheep at the time, and it was something like 8.60/bale delivered, compared to around $12-13 at the feed stores. Now that was a substantial savings! My LL was getting orchard/alfalfa that was a little bit more, but not much, and his horses loved it.
My LL is no more since we moved, and he wouldn’t return my calls last year about doing the same (hey, we got our full deposit back!). I’m hoping to find someone else on the Peninsula (SF Bay) who would want to go in on a T&T, but I don’t have the space to unload it all, and I don’t know what other suppliers to check with. BAEN has listings for area hay dealers, but their prices are as bad as any small feed shop. Geez, even Robinson Farms and Gigli’s hay prices are horrible considering you have to go all the way to them and bring it home yourself! And at Gigli you have to load your own!
Help!
Hay delivered In Cal.
Check out our website, right now 24 tons of Premium 3 string Orchard delivered to Cal. would cost $265.00 per ton, Alfalfa, $265.00 per ton and Timothy $300.00 per ton.
Right now i get my alfalfa/grass for $11 a bail with no minumum.
[QUOTE=weasel1088;3441832]
Right now i get my alfalfa/grass for $11 a bail with no minumum.[/QUOTE]
Would you mind posting (or pm’ing me) with the contact info for this?
Jenni
[QUOTE=CowGirlSoap;3508669]
Would you mind posting (or pm’ing me) with the contact info for this?
Jenni[/QUOTE]
yeah, me too… can you post or PM details?
Anyone in NorCal looking for and or knowing of good, affordable grass-grass alf? I am in El Dorado County. Between Placerville and Auburn.
[QUOTE=mbm;3556195]
yeah, me too… can you post or PM details?[/QUOTE]
Me three
